how do you support you tomatoes

[snakeshack]

"COME ON YOU TOMATOES "
I"ll get me coat

[Bren In Pots]

I tie my cordons to a single cane but this year I'm growing a couple of bush toms so i'll need to support those differently. Not sure how yet so this threads a good place for ideas.

[Penellype]

I use posts or canes to support my cordons outside, and canes or strings in the greenhouse. I agree that bush tomatoes are much more of a challenge, and it seems to depend a lot on the variety. The ones I have tried are:

Balconi red and yellow - small plants but tend to lean and need a short stake for support.
Totem - middle sized plants, fairly strong and compact, sometimes need a cane for support. Dense foliage can lead to disease issues.
Bajaja - weak stemmed plants that tend to sprawl, trailing the fruit on the floor. Too many stems for canes to be a suitable solution and slugs can be a real problem.
Roma - big sprawling plants that are a nightmare to stake. Attempts to train as a cordon resulted on only a couple of trusses of fruit. Disease issues later in the season due to congested foliage.
Garden Pearl - floppy plants only really suitable for a hanging basket or tall pot. Allowed to hang over the side of a container in 3 separate locations (1 in the greenhouse) they succumbed to botrytis before any of the other varieties.

I have ditched Bajaja and Garden Pearl because of the support issues - I have nowhere to hang a basket in my garden. Balconi is easy because it is so small. Totem is the best from a maintenance point of view although the tomatoes are not the best for flavour and tend to get greenback. Roma is a lovely tomato, but I need a better support method. The branching stems make cane or string support difficult. I also have Legend this year.

Suggestions welcome.

[WendyC]

I have to say I gave up on bush tomatoes as they were too unruly! I've a very small greenhouse and not so big patio so vertically is the way to go. I've tried tomatoes at the allotment, where I've more space, but blight has beaten me every time.
Similarly I tried to tame Roma with equally poor crop.

[Penellype]

Glad its not just me that has these problems! Bush tomatoes sound such a good idea, and I was beginning to think I was rather incompetent.

[Tripmeup]

Bamboo canes and clips for me..

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

I used to use the string planted under the rootball hanging from a greenhouse truss with great effect, but fell fowl a few years back when one of the strings broke! And one of my well nurtured plants collapsed n snapped! I was "Gutted"

So now no chances taken!

A well built sturdy frame within the polytunnel answers my prayers!



Not the answer to every bodies troubles! But does it for me!

[cptncrackoff]

In the greenhouse I have one piece of thick string along the roof that I attach vertical strings to from the handles of buckets that the tomatoes (in MFB) sit... if that makes sense!?

Outside, one single thick bamboo cane, and string, or plastic ties to attach.

[Cadalot]

That's an interesting idea, Cadalot - are those bush tomatoes or cordons, and if cordons, what happens when they get to the top of the pyramid? (I should perhaps say are they inderterminate).

Both, when the cordons/ indeterminates' get to the top of the pyramid then they are on their own for as far as I dare and then they are cut off so all the effort goes into the fruit. I looked but I don't have a photo of them in their final glory.

[Martin H]

In the greenhouse I stretch green gardening wire from a hole in the rim of the pot to the hanging basket rail in the roof. Then I tie the tomato to the wire with string as it grows.

[Bigmallly]

Martin, is there a reason why you tie your stems as opposed to winding them round the wire?........Just intrigued.

[vixylix]

Mine are just caned and tied to the cane. Last year they ended up quite unruly and I used string tied against the fence posts for a bit of extra support. I'm not on holiday for 3 weeks mid-summer this year so I'm hoping I'll be able to keep them in order!

[Tripmeup]

I used to use the string planted under the rootball hanging from a greenhouse truss with great effect, but fell fowl a few years back when one of the strings broke! And one of my well nurtured plants collapsed n snapped! I was "Gutted"

So now no chances taken!

A well built sturdy frame within the polytunnel answers my prayers!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]64842[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=CONFIG]64842[/ATTACH]

Not the answer to every bodies troubles! But does it for me!

So unlike you to be organized and tidy Deano

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

Tell ya what trip! I'll be glad this year to get the tomatoes in there final spot which I'm aiming for the coming weekend! Would normally be well in by now!

What a very strange year this year, but mentioned before! ..........